Rolls, Mr. John, Ditto Rolls, Mr. J. J., Ditto SUGDEN, Sir E. B., Knt., Solicitor General, M. P., London, 6 Copies Scriven, Mr. T. S., Weymouth Shore, Mr. Thomas, Nottington, Dorset Sturmey, Mr. James, Weymouth Sutton, Mr. C., Ditto Sydenham, Mr., County Chronicle, Dorchester Symes, Mr. J. J., Attorney, Weymouth Symes, Mrs., Weymouth THOMAS, Sir George, Bart., Weymouth Tasker, Mr. Joseph, Ditto Thomas, J. Penford, Esq., F. R. S. L., M. R. A. S., and Honorary Member of the Physical Society, Southwark Thomas, Mr. William, Weymouth Tizard, Mr. H. H., Jun., Attorney, Ditto Tizard, Miss Ann, Ditto Trowbridge, Mr. I. N., Surgeon, Weymouth URE, Masterton, Esq., M. P., London, 2 Copies Upjohn, Mr. J., Weymouth Urquhart, Ives Harvey, Esq., Seven Oaks, Kent VIVIAN, Mr. E., Weymouth Voss, Mr. George, Ditto WALLACE, Right Hon. Lord, Featherstone Castle, Northumberland, 6 Copies Wadman, Mr. R., Horsington Warne, Mr. C., Poxwell Wells, Mrs., Weymouth Westley, Mr. R. H., Ditto Weston, William, Esq., Alderman, Ditto Weston, Roper, Esq., Alderman, and Collector of Customs, Weymouth Weston, James Willis, Esq., Bailiff, South Down Cot tage, Dorset Weston, William, Esq., London Willis, Mr. Thomas, Weymouth YOUNG, Mrs., The Lodge, Weymouth HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES OF WEYMOUTH. WEYMOUTH AND MELCOMBE-REGIS have for various centuries held a pre-eminence in the history of this country, either as commercial ports, or a convenient bending to the trickery of political power, and latterly have risen into notice from their powerful attractions as a sea-bathing and fashionable watering place. The two towns viewed each other with a jealous eye, and frequent were the contentions fomented by private pique and party animosity, carried on with a degree of hostility, that redounded to the honour of the heads or hearts of neither of them; but as Weymouth had the priority given to it in charters, and public records, and is unquestionably the most ancient of the twain; whatever relates generally to both, will be embodied in the description of Weymouth, and whatever more particularly bears upon Melcombe, will be reserved for that town, consequently, if there is any omission in the account of Melcombe, it will be found in that of Weymouth. DESCRIPTION OF WEYMOUTH. In the Western part of the maritime county of Dorset, on the South side of the river Way, at the foot of a high hill, whose base is washed by the blue waters of the British Channel, which forms a Bay that is not excelled in the Globe, in 2o 34min. West Longitude, and 50o 38min. North Latitude, is situated the ancient Town of Weymouth, is 88 leagues by sea, and 130 miles by land from London; and 8 miles from the county town, is in the diocese of Bristol, and under the jurisdiction of the Archdeacon of Dorset. A It derives its name from its locality with respect to the river Way which rises at Upway, at the base of Windbatch Hill passes by Broadway and Radipole, and empties itself into the bosom of the ocean, at the West end of the harbour, at Weymouth. The river itself is small, but as it makes its progress towards the ocean, it gradually expands, which is also augmented by several tributary streams, from East Chickerell and the adjacent villages, and when the sea rushes forward at high tides, a wide expanse of water is distinguishingly visible; where in times by-gone, the proud prows of the Roman navy have ploughed, where man now lords it over with sovereign sway. The river Way*, is derived from the British word Waye,— Gwy,-Gowy,— Gway,— Wye, — Way or Wey, signifying water, and in its course gives name to several villages, viz., Upway, or Way St. Lawrence, or Way Baiouse; Broadway, or Way St. Michals; Ridgeway, or Way St. Nicholas; Stotingway; Creketway; Causeway; Way-rivard; Rowaldsway; Helway, Holewell, Hellwell, or Haldgewell; and Waymouth; these are all mentioned in ancient records, and the majority of their names are still existant. Mur, Mou,- Moue. - Mue, and Muth, are Saxon words, signifying the mouth of a river,— Wæye-Muð. To trace thee to the date, when yon fair sea, HISTORY. COWPER. Weymouth has hitherto been considered to have been unknown to the Romans, but this ignorance, must have been the result of imperfect knowledge. Hutchins says, "that we meet with no marks of Romans here" but if he had properly examined the locality of its situation, and the industrious capability of that enterprizing nation to turn every natural advantage to their own benefit, he would have retracted his opinion. *There are three bridges of public thoroughfare over the Way: Broadway, Radipole, and Weymouth. Mr. Baxter says that it is the Clavinium of Ravennas, which the Vatican manuscript erroneously reads Clavinio, and so called from its situation with respect to the Isle of Portland, which, from its being in the form of a bent or crooked arm, may most assuredly be properly called clauanis from the British words Clay-ynis. Certain it is, that from the long vista of ages which have transpired, and the numerous alterations made by the improvements of cultivation, the recession of the sea, and the consequent deposit of calcareous, alluvial, and vegetable matter, the gradual, though sure elevation of the land on which the town of Melcombe now stands, and various other contingent changes which have been occurring, render it to this day, a rather difficult task to point out where the Roman eagle unfurled its banners; but yet, still enough is left to the antiquarian to convince him his surmises are correct, that the blue waves of the Atlantic have rolled over the place where the town of Melcombe rears its bold front, and that the Roman navy have oft and anon visited its shores. At the foot of a hill in the parish of Radipole, which is washed by the river Way, there are evident traces of a Roman road; twenty-five years back, they were much more visible than they are now; in the summer of 1828, 1 visited the spot in company with a gentleman of antiquarian research; it is evidently a vicinal way leading to the via Iceniana or Ikenild Street, in a right angle with the tumuli on the hills, and most probably used as a disembarking port for the military to the camp at Maiden Castle, indeed a lane leading from Broadway, still retains a faint memorial of its former name in that of Icen Lane; a coin of the Emperor Hadrian has been found here on this very spot, which is also a corroborating proof of the existence of the Romans. In August, 1812, some farmers' labourers were engaged in ploughing the brow of a hill named Jordan, in the immediate vicinity of Weymouth, the plough-share struck against some hard substance, which, upon further examination, proved to be an unbaked Roman Urn, filled with silver coins of various Roman Emperors, they were eagerly distributed, some few of which fell lo my lot, the description of which is given in the latter part of the work.* * John Milner the Antiquarian says, "that a popular tradition existed in his time, 1790, that a considerable treasure was hidden in the earth, somewhere between Weymouth and Purbec. Query-Could this at all allude to the Roman Coin found on Jordan Hill?-Another tradition exists, that here formerly, viz. Jordan Hill, was a a town, uo doubt alluding to the Roman station. This is again a proof of the knowledge the Romans possessed of this place, and it most probably was another landing station. The scarcity of records and official documents in several reigns antecedent and subsequent to William I., and even when they became more frequent about the reign of Henry III. many of them have perished in the ravages of time, hence the series is often interrupted, and many chasms occur, which occasion much perplexity and obscurity, and even with regard to those which have come down to our own times, the most eminent transcribers and even antiquarians are not always accurate in their translations, and frequently in endeavouring to render a passage or translation more clear or intelligible, the very reverse in several instances occur, and the antiquarian finds himself like a traveller who is led on by an ignis fatuus, till at last he is thrown nolens volens comfortably into a bog, akin to our sister Island, or like a decipherer who wants a sufficient number of ciphers to form a key. Innumerable instances of this occur in the records of most places, and accounts of ancient families; this must plead for any hiatus which might occur either in the History of Weymouth, or its earliest possessors. The earliest evidence there is of this town, is about nine hundred years ago, where the Saxon Chronicles state that King Athelstan, A. D. 938, in consequence of a false charge being brought against his half brother Prince Edwin*, of a conspiracy to dethrone him, ordered him to be exposed in an open boat without sails or oars to the fury of the raging waves. The young Prince accompanied by his Esquire, entered the boat protesting his innocence, but finding the King inexorable and overcome by despair, cast himself headlong into the sea. His attendant met with a better fate, for he was driven with the corpse of his master, on the coast of Picardy. King Athelstan was at first secretly pleased with this occasion to destroy his brother, but the moment he had gratified his passion, was seized with a grievous remorse, and to quiet his conscience, confined himself for several years at Lamport, in Somerset, by way of penance, and also was advised by the monks to perform several meritorious acts; with this view he *Prince Edwin, it appears, had visited the East, and while there, had been initiated into the sublime mysteries of Free Masonry; on his return, he instituted a grand lodge at York, was elected grand master of the craft in England, and formed the constitution of the English Lodges. It is more than probable, that the necessary meetings of the craft whose sublime mysteries are excluded from the prophane eyes of the communis vulgus, were the cause of this suspicion of his conspiring against the throne of his brother, and led to his murder. |